Case Number 22944: Small Claims Court

HOT IN CLEVELAND: SEASON TWO

The Charge

"You better buck up and bug down, bitch!" -- Elka in
jail

The Case

One of 2010's most unlikely television hits was Hot in Cleveland,
which played out like a sitcom offspring of Sex and the City crossbred
with The Golden Girls. Thanks to the star power of Betty White, it
launched strong and kept the audience for the whole year. The show quickly
became TV Land's highest rated half hour, and they pulled out all the stops for
its twenty-two episode second season.

The adventures of Melanie (Valerie Bertinelli, One Day at a Time),
Joy (Jane Leeves, Frasier), Victoria (Wendie Malick, Just Shoot
Me), and Elka (Betty White, The Mary Tyler Moore Show) picked up
right where they left off. The three Los Angeles transplants stayed in Cleveland
with their cranky caretaker who was found with an entire basement of mafia loot
and stolen property. Started with Elka's trial, Season Two made a detour to
Amish country, showed a struggle for Joy's citizenship, provided plenty of love
problems along the way, and climaxed in The Hangover-inspired season
finale.

Hot in Cleveland works best when it plays safe and sound within
conventional trappings. These are women who have been on television for decades,
and they all deserve to be labeled as sitcom royalty. There's a formula, a laugh
track, and it all gels in a traditionally comedic way. The show gives off an
instant classic vibe with every episode, complete with classic television star
cameos; it's great fun waiting to see who is going to pop-up. Through it all,
the core cast and their excellent chemistry keep things moving along nicely.
Betty White is a national treasure, and these other three broads are funny gals
who know how to deliver every line. They never miss, and that is what makes
Hot in Cleveland so...well...hot.

Hot in Cleveland: Season Two offers all twenty-two episodes on three
discs. The 1.78:1 anamorphic standard definition transfers are just fine with
nice colors and very few digital artifacts. It's a show that looks like a
classic three camera sitcom filmed on closed sets. You can choose between full
Dolby 5.1 surround or 2.0 stereo, although most of the action happens in the
front two speakers either way. Bonus features include interviews with the cast,
a long blooper where Betty White loses it, set tours, footage of the cast
visiting Cleveland landmarks, and the first episode of the new series The
Exes. In the mix of these episodes is one thirty minute behind-the-scenes
making-of special which could also be considered an extra in and of itself.

If you like conventional sitcoms done right -- or if (like me) you simply
have a huge crush on Betty White -- Hot in Cleveland is fluffy fun that's
just as strong in its second year as it was in its first.